In July 2025, the Embodied Music Lab brought its highly regarded Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop to Stetson University’s School of Music. For one week, teachers, singers, and voice care professionals from across the United States and Europe gathered in DeLand to explore the intersection of science and artistry in singing.

The workshop was led by three co-instructors: Dr. Ian Howell (Embodied Music Lab, and author of Hearing Singing), Kenneth Bozeman (Professor Emeritus, Lawrence University, and author of Practical Vocal Acoustics and Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy), and Dr. Chadley Ballantyne (Associate Professor of Music, Voice, at Stetson University). Together, they guided participants through a curriculum designed to make acoustical and perceptual theory practical, motivating, and immediately applicable in both the teaching studio and performance space.

Special Guest Presenters

The week was further enriched by contributions from distinguished guest presenters. Marci Rosenberg—a singer, speech pathologist, and co-author of The Vocal Athlete—shared her expertise as a clinical singing voice specialist. Joanne Bozeman, co-author of Singing Through Change: Women’s Voices in Midlife, Menopause, and Beyond, spoke on lifespan considerations in the singing voice. Kayla Gautereaux, who leads the voice pedagogy program at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, brought insights from her innovative teaching and research.

A Week of Discovery

Over the course of the week, participants immersed themselves in the science and art of singing, connecting theory directly to practice. Sessions explored motor learning and respiration dynamics with real-time biofeedback, while also delving into acoustic registration, perception, and psychoacoustics. Faculty guided singers and teachers in understanding how acoustics and perception interact across voice types and musical genres, and in tracing the cause-and-effect relationships between articulation and resonance that shape vocal efficiency and artistry.

The workshop also addressed the role of hormones across the lifespan and demonstrated how technology can be harnessed for both teaching and research. Woven throughout was a focus on practical strategies: hearing singing functionally, recognizing the role of vibrotactile awareness of sound in the singing voice, applying insights across genres, and motivating efficient vocal production through affect.

Stetson as the Perfect Host

Stetson University provided an ideal setting for this gathering. Attendees praised the beautiful campus, the welcoming atmosphere of DeLand’s downtown, and—most especially—the outstanding Stetson students who served as workshop assistants. Their professionalism and enthusiasm made the week run seamlessly and left a lasting impression on participants.

Looking Forward

The 2025 Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop was a tremendous success—fostering collaboration, sparking new ideas, and equipping participants with tools to take back to their teaching and singing. Hosting this internationally respected event at Stetson underscored the School of Music’s role as a hub for innovation in voice pedagogy, where tradition and forward-thinking practice meet.